Friday, July 3, 2015

Kade’s 1st Week

Hi Kade! You turned one week old on Sunday, June 21st. Here’s all about your sweet first week of life.

Weight: I remember the nurses weighing Jase several times at the hospital, but they only weighed Kade once while we were there after the initial weigh in. He was still 7 lbs, 7 oz. His first doctor’s appointment (and our first outing as a family of four!) was Tuesday, 7/16. He weighed 7 lbs and 3 oz, so he had dropped 4 oz. She wanted us to come back in 3 days for another weight check, so we headed back on Friday (6/19). Our sweet nurse Aleta let me feed him before we had the check up, and sure enough when they weighed him this time he was at 7 lbs, 9 oz! Dr. Carey was pretty surprised that he gained 6 oz in 3 days, but was it was the same scale so she knew it was accurate. 5 days old and dude was up 2 oz past his birth weight! Way to go, Kade!

Health: Everything looks great so far. (Praise the Lord!!) The only issue was a newborn rash called Erythema Toxicum that she said should clear up in a few days. It looks like baby acne and the spots get brighter when he is hot or just after he has nursed. They pop up different places too. She said we would watch it but it’s nothing to worry about.

He was 26% on his weight, 54% on his height, and his head was 40%. Jase was always in the 90th percentile, so he is definitely smaller, but healthy as can be and we are so thankful for that answered prayer!

His little booty got red from going to the bathroom so much, so I tried to let him air out as much as possible for a few days and that did the trick. He peed and pooped on me a few times, but it was worth it to let it heal up. It’s looking all better now. And speaking of pee, he has a REALLY strong urine stream!

After about about a week, we stopped using the gauze for his circumcision care. The first few days of that is tough. It doesn’t bother them that bad, but it makes me feel a little funny to care for it because I don’t do well with blood and cuts.

I asked about tummy time & vitamin D supplementation, but she said to wait a bit longer on both of those. (It’s amazing how much you forget in 2 short years, but also how quickly it comes back.)

Sleep: Kade slept from 12-5 for the first 2 nights!! After his weight dropped a few oz at his first appointment (which is TOTALLY normal), I felt a little nervous and woke him up after 3 1/2 hours to feed him. That ended up being a lonnng night so I decided not to do that again. He slept from 12-5 for a few more nights after that. Maybe he got my sleepyhead gene like Jase did and will be a great sleeper? That would be fabulous because this mama really requires her sleep to function. Honestly though, I prayed he would be a good sleeper and I feel like the Lord was just honoring that.

He REALLY likes to be held. He sleeps in the pack n play in our room at nighttime and in his bouncie or in my arms for naps. I also do skin to skin with Kade during Jase’s nap time. I’ll probably start wearing him soon so I have my hands free. As long as you follow the safety precautions, there are MANY benefits in baby wearing.

We also et him have a paci during naps if he wants it. Half the time he gags when we try to put it in and won’t take it, but sometimes it does the trick. Thankfully he doesn’t cry when it falls out for us to put it back in.

Nursing: Kade latched really well immediately at the hospital. He ate every 2-3 hours except at night (when he went for that 5 hour stretch), alternating sides. We must have had a few tough latches or pulled him off without properly delatching though because I had some milk blisters pop up and my nipples were pretty sore.

He was born on Sunday at 4, and my milk started coming in on Monday night. (It came in a little faster on the left side than the right, but the right started coming in on Tuesday.) And let the engorgement fun begin!! Goodness gracious!! My breasts were really full, lumpy, and hot to the touch. Jonathan thinks it’s awesome, but it’s seriously a “look but don’t touch” zone because they are so sore. Engorgement also means sore nipples. I avoided Lasinoah/nipple cream this time and tried to stick with breast milk to heal my ‘wounds’ after feedings. In order for him to be able to latch, I would use a heating pad for a few minutes before and manually express some milk. (I forgot about that trick, but it is super helpful.) The lactation specialist told me not to pump or a few weeks and to avoid letting the water beat down on your breasts in really warm showers, even though it feels good.

I started with a different side each time, but always offer both breasts, and he would usually take both. It was an awesome feeling when he was able to finally start emptying a side towards the end of the week.

I did not track feedings or diapers after we left the hospital this time like I did with Jase, and it’s really nice to feel confident that he is getting enough to eat without obsessing over it. He eats every 3 hours or so and poops/pees every time, so we are good to go. Second time mommy confidence is a beautiful thing!!

I am thankful the Lord is allowing me to nurse again. I know not everyone is able, and even if it is a rough start in the beginning, I do not want to take it for granted. I won’t tell you that I’m one of the moms who really enjoys it, but I sure wouldn’t trade it! I know it is best for both of us, but especially for him, so I am 100% committed.

What Kade is up to: Kade LOVES to be held, especially by Mama!! We have the Angel Care monitor hooked up in his pack n play, but he legit rolled from his back, to his side, to his tummy (in his swaddle) when he was 3 days old, so I decided to keep him in the sleeper that came as an attachment in his pack n play. At least he can’t roll over in that! I may roll up some blankets to put by his sides for when we’re ready to lay him flat in the pack n play again. We will probably move him to his room at about the 6 week mark because the noises keep Jonathan awake. And let’s just say neither one of us are the best version of ourselves when sleep deprived.

He is mostly eating, peeing/pooping, staying awake for a few minutes after feedings, then snoozing again. He is a very content, sweet baby. Looks like we have another angel baby! He reminds me a lot of Jase in his demeanor and content little personality. I can’t wait to watch him continue to grow and develop!! We’ve even seen some ‘newborn smiles’ where he showed off his dimples and straight stole my heart! I don’t know where he got them, but I.LOVE.THEM.

Only time he has cried so far is when I’m not fast enough changing a diaper or feeding him. He gets really red when he cries & he has a little spot on is forehead (sometimes referred to as a “stork bite”) that flares up. Dr. Carey said it should go away with time. His birth mark is on his hair line on the back of his neck.

He does get oily fast so we have had to do a few sponge baths. I think he is going to have sensitive skin like Jase.

I forgot about all the newborn noises- the grunting & cooing.

He has long fingers like his brother, but I think his feet are a little smaller. His little legs and booty are so narrow!

Kade had a lot of mucus when he was first born, and some of that is still clearing up. A couple times he has gagged a little on the mucus in his mouth and I’ve had to use the bulb to clear it out.

He desperately wants to hold his head up and can for a few seconds at a time. He is a STRONG baby! Even the doctor commented on that at the hospital.

We’ve also had lots of sweet visitors this week!! We are so thankful for sweet friends, family, and church family who are loving on us and bringing meals. Of course the grandparents, aunts, and cousins have had to come spoil him too.

PostPartum: They didn’t tell me a whole lot about self care when we left the hospital. I’m not sure if it’s because it was my second baby or what, but I am the type of person who likes a LOT of specific information and instructions. Jonathan made it pretty clear he was ready to get him ASAP, so maybe they were just trying to help us get out quickly. I think most of it is common sense anyway, but since it was a completely different type of birth, I just assumed I could go back to normal. (Not like hitting the gym or anything, but normal activity for the most part.) I seriously felt so good when we got home! My bleeding had really lightened up and I barely needed the Motrin, and that made me think I was good to go. Read: I made some very unwise choices & WAY overdid it.! Do not do these.

I carried Kade up the stairs the first night so we could read Jase his bedtime story. (They did tell me not to lift Jase, so Jon handled everything that required lifting.) FYI: You should not go up and down stairs right away. I also squatted down to the floor and then sat indian style to change a diaper- probably 30 hours after birth. (Anyone else cringing reading this? Yea, me too! I cannot believe I did that!) Then I woke up the next morning and made a big breakfast for everyone & unloaded the dishwasher like I normally do. And…enter the pain train. I paid for it over the next week! My bleeding picked up to the point that I was texting my OB and midwife friends to make sure it was normal. I wasn’t soaking a pad an hour so they weren’t too concerned, but I was getting a little freaked out over some of the blood clots. They were a little smaller than a golf ball. They told me not to worry unless they became the size of a lemon or bigger. I was also really sore and took full advantage of the ice pads and Motrin (800 mg every 6 hours). It was a tough few days honestly. My boobs were super sore & my bottom half was super sore. My feet and ankles also swelled up around day 3-4 and stayed that way for a few days. I never swelled at all during pregnancy, so it caught me by surprise. My right ankle was a lot more swollen than my left, and I’m thinking it’s because I had more ‘trauma’ on my right side than my left. I tried to keep them propped up while I was nursing to help with the swelling.

Jonathan was doing everything besides taking care of Kade, and I know he was going stir crazy being cooped up. So on top of making my own recovery worse by doing too much, I felt really guilty about being so unproductive & him having to do so much. One thing is for sure, I do NOT like feeling lazy (even if it is really just resting to recover and not laziness.) Lesson learned though!! Next time I will take it way easier for the first week after birth so I don’t have to deal with that regression cuz it was not fun.

I also had hemorrhoids after birth. They weren’t swollen or painful and didn’t bother me till the end of the week, & then they started burning when I went to the bathroom. I finally took a sitz bath with Epsom salt and apple cider vinegar towards the end of the week and it made a world of difference! I also took Colace through the week and made sure to drink a fiber drink and take Probiotics daily. Staying well hydrated helped too with digestion.

When I weighed myself when we came home from the hospital, I was only down about 8 lbs. Ha! That was pretty much just Kade! How about all the fluid and placenta weight you’re supposed to lose? I finally went to the bathroom on day #4 (I was scared, but it was totally fine) and after a week, I was only about 7 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight. I guess the bowel movements did the trick.

I totally forgot about the night sweats! Holy moly. I wake up SOAKED every night! I know it’s just hormones, but it is the craziest thing.

I know I had some baby blues with Jase and I cried a good bit afterwards, but I haven’t really had that this time at all.

Big Brother Jase: Jase seems to be adjusting well for the most part. It definitely helps that Jonathan is home and can give him lots of attention. He has been a little whiney a few days, but not sure if that’s from the new baby or just normal toddler stuff, especially since he’s been staying up way later than normal. It’s probably a little of both to be honest. We are working on getting him out of throwing stuff right now so he doesn’t hit Kade with something, and we are also struggling a little with his diet. (He will drink juice if I juice veggies, but that’s the only way he’s getting vegetables right now. He mostly eats carbs & I hate it.) I do feel like he has had a growth spurt recently and seems to have just grown up over night!

He does love his brother though!! I don’t see any signs of jealousy. He likes to kiss him on the head, cover him up with a blanket, and give him his paci. I could barely hold back tears the first time I heard him call Kade “brother” and tell him he loved him. So, so precious!! I cannot wait to see these sweet brothers grow together and I pray they always have a strong relationship and close bond.

Thoughts: There were a couple times I told people I felt like c-section recovery was easier, and Jon told me that it almost sounded like I was saying I wished I had a c-section rather than testifying to God’s goodness & faithfulness in vaginal delivery. I didn’t realize it sounded like that and I am so glad he pointed that out because I definitely did not want to come across that way, so I stopped saying that. I do want to be honest about it though and not sugar coat it. It was tough. But it was also because I overdid it, and that was my own fault.

As far as Kade and life with two, my heart is so, so full!! I am always SO excited when I see an expecting mom because I know the unspeakable JOY she is about to experience!! I hope I always convey that to others and am encouragement to women about motherhood. The Bible tells us that children are a blessing and heritage from the Lord, and y’all, that is some TRUTH! I have never been more fulfilled than being a mom. I just love being a mama to these precious boys and I am thankful beyond words God chose me and Jon to be Jase and Kade’s parents.Don’t get me wrong- it takes a LOT of work & prayer and constant training, and it can feel overwhelming, but man…the JOY. There is just no comparison. It is also so cool to me how God just MULTIPLIES your love when you have another baby! Your time and attention might be a little more divided, but love…not at all! Even while you’re pregnant you love your growing baby, but nothing quite compares to actually holding that precious miracle in your arms.

Sweet Baby Kade- You are already so, so very loved!! You are so precious and everyone thinks you look just like your daddy. You are the perfect addition to our family and we are so happy to have you outside of my tummy and in our arms! We can’t wait to watch you grow and see the man you become some day. Praying Luke 2:52 over you…

4 comments:

I love your blog!!! Your honest pregnancy posts are so helpful and encouraging. My husband and I are starting to get a little more serious about starting our family and I'm kind of scared to death! Your stories really make me feel like I can do it!! God bless you and your sweet family!!